Loftur Þorsteinsson (born 1702) was an Icelander known as ''Galdra-Loftur'' for his supposed mastery of Old Norse sorcery (''

galdr A (plural ') or (plural ) refers to a spell or incantation in Old Norse and Old English respectively; these were usually performed in combination with certain rites.The article ''Galder'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (1992) Etymology and or ...

''). He was the subject of many folk

saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

s about his alleged magical performances. Loftur was born near in the northwest of Iceland. His father, Þorsteinn Jónsson, was a falconer at Vörðufell, and his mother was Ásta Loftsdóttir. In 1716, Loftur became a student at the Latin school at

Hólar Hólar (; also Hólar í Hjaltadal ) is a small community in the Skagafjörður district of northern Iceland. Location Hólar is in the valley Hjaltadalur, some from the national capital of Reykjavík. It has a population of around 100. It is t ...

. During his time there, he developed an interest in ''galdr''. According to legend, Loftur tried (and failed) to obtain the legendary

grimoire A grimoire () (also known as a book of spells, magic book, or a spellbook) is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms, and divin ...

(book of spells) '' Rauðskinna'', which was supposedly buried in 1520 with its author, Bishop Gottskálk grimmi Nikulásson. Loftur left the Hólar school in 1722 — sources vary as to whether he graduated or was expelled — but what happened in his life after that is uncertain. According to one legend, Loftur was driven insane by his failure to acquire the ''Rauðskinna'' and was placed under the care of a priest in Staðarstaður. He later took to sea in an old rowboat and disappeared, presumably drowned.

''Galdra-Loftur''

Loftur is the subject of the play ''Galdra-Loftur'' (; or ''Loftur the Magician'') by

Jóhann Sigurjónsson Jóhann Sigurjónsson (June 19, 1880 – August 31, 1919) was an Icelandic playwright and poet. Atypically, Jóhann wrote plays and poetry in both his native Icelandic and in Danish. Biography Jóhann was the son of an Icelandic farmer and wa ...

. The play portrays Loftur as a

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

-like ambitious scholar seeking power and knowledge through sorcery. The play was first performed on December 26, 1914, in Reyjavík and published in Danish and Icelandic in 1915.

References

Other sources

*Páll Eggert Ólason (1948
''Íslenskar æviskrár''
(Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag) 1702 births Loftur Thorsteinsson Icelandic folklore Year of death unknown Witchcraft in Iceland {{iceland-bio-stub